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Gang is an American computer animated serialized television series that originally aired on Kart Tunes from November 27, 2070 through January 4, 2075, lasting 52 episodes across four seasons. Created by Steve Marmel, it was produced by Diamond Champion in association with Rising Stars and distributed by Warner Bros. Set in the early-mid 2010s era of New York City, the series follows the adventures of McCrillis Nsiah, an adolescent boxer and mixed martial artist fighter who works a full-time job in a secret youth exploration program as an undercover agent to fight against law enforcement and gang tyrannies. Gang experienced immense domestic and international popularity, and has developed a strong cult following. It won a total of 20 awards - six Annie Awards, six Primetime Awards, four Teen Choice Awards, three Golden Reel Awards, and one Kids' Choice Awards. It is Kart Tunes' highest rated series in the network's history to date, with almost 50 million viewers a month at the. Gang has spawned five video games as well as various other merchandise which includes collectible action figures, dolls, clothing, and album releases. Premise Setting Synopsis See also'': List of Gang characters'' Gang revolves around McCrillis Nsiah, his younger sister MaKayla Jefferson and an ensemble cast of their aquatic friends and foes. McCrillis is the pessimistic, lethargic, astute, no-nonsense black African American boy who began boxing and training in mixed martial arts when he was just six years old. MaKayla is the sensitive, mature, lighthearted black African American girl who has an interest in medics, singing, and rapping. The brother and sister duo were born to the same father but each have a different mother and live separately. Their Ghanaian father Mike and MaKayla's Ghanaian mother Sofesia, who suffered a lifelong illness, divorced five years before Sofesia gave birth to MaKayla at the cost of her life; Mike later dated and eventually married another Ghanaian woman named Evelyn, who soon gave birth to Michael, McCrillis, Royce, and Jemorie, and they live together in Crown Heights of Brooklyn alongside Evelyn's oldest son and daughter, Evans and Joyce. McCrillis has had a lifelong complicated relationship with his family at home and his teachers and classmates at school. Meanwhile, MaKayla lives in a foster home with 11 other children who relentlessly bully her. She and McCrillis both attended P.S.189 from kindergarten through eighth grade, with McCrillis being just one grade ahead of MaKayla. In that school, they met Davon Delacruz, Haze Geetooah, twins Temera and Jaden Durand, cousins Cheyenne Williams and Rashein Smith, Terrell Dockery, and Jonathan Castillo. MaKayla and McCrillis also do not get along very well with one another, with McCrillis relentlessly bullying her as well. When Deputy Nadage Charles, who is MaKayla and McCrillis’ school resource officer, stops MaKayla from committing suicide, Charles removes her from foster care and places her in child protective custody. Charles then arranges a sit-down between MaKayla and McCrillis, who finally reconcile in peace. - Production Conception and development Casting Animation Soundtrack Themes The series explored topics rarely touched in many television shows that feature teenagers in high school. It deals with youth, peer pressure, abuse, sin, repentance, corruption, war, loss, racism, discrimination, stereotyping, homelessness, and LGBT. Gang also explored the philosophical questions surrounding the law and policy. More importantly, as the series' title explains, it deals with teenagers and young adults in gangs. All of this results in the series' characters and plot structure being written with many layers of depth and complexity, and thus, their motives frequently being strayed into grey territory; this narrative writing gives the series a wide variety in its atmosphere, a consistent theme, and a relatable connection to the audience. In short, the series touched upon the human nature. Broadcast In Spring 2069, Kart Tunes commissioned for a 13-episode first season of Gang, which began production in the summer of that year and finished in the summer of the following year. Kart Tunes released the series' first official promo on Memorial Day 2070, stating that Gang was to officially premiere in the fall of that year. On Labor Day 2070, Toronto Dyckman, the voice actor for the series' protagonist McCrillis Nsiah, stated on his Facebook page that Gang was to premiere in November 2070. The series officially made its two-episode premiere at 8:00 p.m. EST on Thanksgiving Day 2070, with the highest rated premiere in Kart Tunes' history as well as the highest ratings of the year for the network. On December 19, 2070, shortly after the airing of the series' fifth overall episode, Kart Tunes renewed the series for an additional 13-episode season, a second season, which premiered on November 6, 2071. In December 2071, Kart Tunes renewed Gang for a third season. In February 2073, the series was renewed for a fourth season. Gang ended production in late December 2073. The final pair of episodes aired on January 4, 2075. Each of the series' episodes took almost a year to make and are approximately 25-minutes long, with the exception of the first and last episodes, which are both 23-minutes long, two minutes shorter than all other episodes of the series. Episodes Main article: List of Gang episodes International Reception Ratings Critical reception The series’ characters, animation, voice acting, and soundtrack have been positively received by many fans and critics. It has also been noted for its appeal towards all age, race, and gender groups. James Poniewozik of Time magazine described the characters as "some of the most relatable in any media". He further added that the series "attracted young children curious about the high school experience, teenagers who know it all too well, and even adults who watch the show with fond (or sometimes not-so-fond) memories of their own adolescence. Those who first encountered the show respond to it really well because they were going through the same things that the characters were going through...dealing with bullies, dealing with gangs, dealing with police, dealing with girls, dealing with boys, and so on and so fourth..." According to Laura Fries of Variety magazine, the series is "the most pessimistic thing" she had ever seen in her whole life. She further added, "because Gang is a character-driven real life-based teenage drama story, so it has the right balance of serious and goofy moments. I was always so immersed into what was going on with the characters and at times it was difficult as to who’s side I was rooting for. It also does not constantly throw in action for multiple episodes like a typical Japanese anime series would. Nor does it have this mediocre Henry Danger style of fighting. Whenever there were fights going on in Gang, they felt more genuine and intense, with virtually no plot armors. The protagonists only won because the antagonists either let them win on their own accord or because of dumb pure luck." The New York Times critic Joyce Millman said Gang “doesn't care about its viewers getting all in their feelings. It stuck with its messages and themes throughout and proved that the world doesn't have a thin line between good and bad. Life sucks, but you gotta be happy anyway." However, some critics have criticized its story for being convoluted. This is particularly because of the constant foreshadowing in the series’ first half, which led to many new character arcs being introduced and resolved concurrently throughout the series’ second half. Joly Herman of Common Sense Media, who rated the series a 6.9 out of 10, wrote "though it never forgot its main premise throughout, however, its plot was a mess. Half of these elements could have easily been spent an extra three to five episodes being developed instead of shoved in last minute. It makes the whole show too sloppy for its own good." Some other critics have criticized Gang for going overboard with its serious and darker tone. Terrence Briggs of Animation World Magazine considered every second of the show "filler" and called it "just another typical Drama Kings & Queens of a TV show about hoodlum wannabees" that gave him bad memories when he was a teenager going to high school and growing up in the worst areas in his hometown. However, Briggs stated that McCrillis is the only character he liked. In fact, speaking of McCrillis, perhaps the most common criticism towards Gang is about the harsh mistreatment and racial bullying towards the character and the bulk of consequences McCrillis is often given for the other characters' actions. Carey Bryson of About.com gave Gang a 3.9 out of 10 and wrote "It's incredibly mean-spirited and the entire premise of the show goes out of its way to endlessly torment McCrillis. He is not being tortured because of his negative personality or any sort of justification. Everyone's just an a-hole towards McCrillis simply because of his skin color, facial, and/or bodily appearances.“ Awards and accolades Merchandise References